Why do people find it hard to keep resolutions past January?
Resolutions are notorious do be dropped rapidly. Statistics show that most resolutions don’t hold until February turns around.
But what are the core reasons for this?
Why resolutions have a tendency to be dropped that fast even if we seem to be very motivated when we start off with them?
People don’t keep resolutions and goals they set for themselves mostly because the only action they’re really taking is “saying” that they’re making a resolution, but they actually never truly act on it, or at least not in a way that could truly help them keep their own promises.
So, let’s see how you can keep those resolutions and goals if you’ve made any for this brand new year.
Keep this list handy at all time if you want to be able to keep those resolutions of yours.
1- Keep your Resolutions Realistic
For a goal to be met and kept it needs to be realistic to start with. Realistic doesn’t mean that I’m telling you not to dream (l love big dream goals), but they may still be a step further than where you are right now, so just back up a little and work towards it.
This is how…
Let’s say you are climbing a 10 step stair case, and you need 10 seconds to go from step 1 to step 10. If your goal was to be on the top of the stair case in 10 seconds, it would be a workable goal, and you would be able to work it out step by step until you reach your last step 10 seconds later. It would be a realistic goal.
On the other hand, if your goal was to be on step number 10 in only 4 seconds, while it might be possible for some people to do this, that may not be a realistic goal for you at this point.
Do you get what I am saying here?
When you make a resolution, keep this simple illustration in mind. Keep goals realistic to you at the time you’re making them, because the more realistic they are the most likely you’ll be able to keep them.
2- Have a Weekly Check Points
When passengers’ planes take off from an airport, anywhere in the world, with the intent on landing in another city, country or continent, they don’t just fly mindlessly until they reach their target destination. No, they go through specific check points. That’s how air traffic controllers are able to keep track of the progression of a flight, and that’s also how they know if the plane has gone off track or even if something wrong happened.
To make sure that you are on track with your resolutions, have a weekly mandatory check point, where you are going to analyze where you are with your resolutions and goals. Decide of a specific day of the week where you can check if you are still on track, if you went off track or cashed somewhere. This could really improve your resolution keeping by a good 80%.
Just make that appointment with yourself, and check where you are each week on the same day. If you went off track, reposition yourself and keep going. Since you’re checking every week, even if you’ve dropped off, you can get back on track much easier as if nothing happened.
3- Have Someone who Holds you Accountable
Now this only works if you are serious about having someone accountable to your actions, and if they are serious as well.
When picking someone to be accountable to make sure you’re keeping on track with your goals and resolutions, you should pick someone who is tough enough, and who’s not going to buy your excuses easily.
In case you’d like to know, I’m very tough, and if you want me to help you be accountable for your resolution keeping, I can do that for you. That’s not something that’s going to take me much of my time, which is already a bit limited.
All it takes to do this, is ask someone you know you can trust to “check point” with you and make sure you’re still on track. If not, they should be able to motivate you, in whatever ways they want to. In a nice way, or in a rough way. Whatever works best.
4- Join or Create a Meet up Group
You could join or create a meet up group with people of the same mind and goals as yours. I know this one might be a little more difficult to materialize, but at the end of the day it’s going to be based on how much will and efforts you’re going to put into it.
I am aware that a group can only stand by the commitment of its members, but maybe you could learn how to attract the right people to your group, and use your intuition to feel if they’re a good fit or not.
5- Keep a Journal
Keeping a journal of your goals and their progression is an excellent way to keep your them going. Write about your progression, what you’ve done according to plan, and what you haven’t been able to accomplish yet, what your feels are about your progression or lack of it, etc.
Write about what you’d like to improve, and how. Write about anything pertaining to your goals.
Writing about your goals daily is a perfect way to keep them in your face constantly.
6- Visualize your Resolution
A resolution or goal has to have a face. What I mean is what does the end result looks like for you?
Whatever that is, visualize it the best way you can. See it, feel it, touch it, taste it, smell it… as much as you can.
The more you keep your end result in your mind’s eyes, the better chance you’ll have at keeping your resolution going. Visualizations will help you with that.
7- Do not Tell Your Resolutions and Goals
I know that it can be tempting at times to tell people around you what your goals and resolutions are, but for the most part, it’s a pretty bad thing to do.
Why?
Because if by any chance anyone you tell has a negative comment about your goals it will be something that your subconscious mind will get pretty quickly and it can really make you fail before you even start.
So a resolution safe-guarding thing to do is Not to tell anyone around you, unless you’re on hundred percent sure that they’ll back you up.
So, there you have it. I hope you can follow up with those 7 tips to keep your goals and resolutions once and for all!
Your turn now. Please, leave your thoughts and comments below.
Hi Sylviane, Great ideas to help make sure that we stay on track with our goals for 2014! I especially liked the one about weekly check points. If your only check point is December 31, 2014, you probably won’t achieve that goal.
A new year is our opportunity for a fresh start and our chance to improve our lives. So many of us make resolutions that we don’t keep. By following your suggestions we have a much stronger chance of keeping our resolutions and working towards a better 2015!
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Hi Carolyn,
I’m glad that you like my “check point” idea. I realized that works best for me.
As you’re saying if our next check point is next December that would be too late. On the other hand if our next check point is today, to make sure we’re still on track since January first or second, we are good to go, and good to keep going, most of all.
Thank you for your input and have a wonderful new plans year!
Sylviane Nuccio invites you to read..7 Tips To Keep Those Goals And Resolutions Once For All
Hi Sylviane,
I agree with all the points you make here – I wasn’t sure, at first, about your last one, because I think it can be helpful to let people know what your resolutions are, as it can make you more accountable, but I can understand there may be some people who might give you the wrong kind of feedback.
I think motivation is another important factor – Jeevan’s mentioned this in his recent post on the same subject. If you’re very strongly motivated to keep your resolution, that makes a big difference – so being clear about your “why” really helps.
I especially like your point about visualisation – I think as well as visualising the achievement of your goal, it’s good to visualise yourself actually working at it, on the road, as it were.
Thanks for a great post, Sylviane, and I wish you every success with your own resolutions for the coming year 🙂
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Hi Sue,
I was smiling when I went to your blog just a couple of hours ago and read your post. I thought, what a convenient post I have to link to this 🙂
Yes, I didn’t mention the WHY here, but the why is really important, of course. The why is what’s going to take you there.
I always visualize my goals and some of them are taking shape as I’m writing this, so I’m very excited. I know that some of yours are taking place too.
Thank you for coming and leaving your thoughts here 🙂
Sylviane Nuccio invites you to read..7 Tips To Keep Those Goals And Resolutions Once For All
Hi Sylviane!
Happy New Year! All my goals have been carefully planned out and are not too hard to attain. I’ve tried setting the bar ultra high but that only lead to me becoming overwhelmed. I was basically setting myself up for failure.
Now I keep them simple. For example for my weight loss plan I do 5 pounds at a time.
I love the idea of doing weekly check points. This can keep us in line. I’m using my to-do lists and so far it’s helping me out a lot.
Sue has also talked about how a journal has helped her…I might have to do that this year :).
Thanks for sharing these tips with us! I hope you’re having a great week so far! Can you believe it’s already Wednesday? Stay warm!
Hi Corina,
Yes, setting your goals too high could be a recipe for failure, as I mention in number one. I’m glad you’re doing things slow now.
I know, I told Sue how her blog post was similar to mine 🙂 in a way.
Have happy new year too, and all the best with your goals and resolutions.
Sylviane Nuccio invites you to read..My Best Personal Development Posts For 2013
Hi Sylviane
Telling someone your goals, I agree is usually a bad idea. I don’t know how many times I have been told….I am going to start exercising …..I am going to start on Monday or whatever else they have determined they are going to do. I have learned to say nothing and surprise it happens some of the time or they start and exercise for awhile and pretty soon they say they have no time. I am now to the mindset of …I will believe it when I see it!
My thing is when I promise myself, I usually follow through. So therefore I rarely promise myself. I would rather say I am going to attempt to or will give it a try at whatever I am planning, but I will not promise. That was the way I raised my child, we would try to do this or plan this or that, but would never promise. The word “promise” should never be taken lightly and that is the reason I hardly ever use it.
Very good post on ideas for people that want to follow through with plans.
Mary
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Hi Mary,
I agree, the word promise is taken lightly too often, so we take the power of this word away. That’s very good that you don’t, so at least when you promise yourself it really pushes you to act. Very good stuff!
Thank you for coming by and I’m looking to read your blog all throughout the year. May your promises be realized 🙂
Sylviane Nuccio invites you to read..My Best Personal Development Posts For 2013
Hi Sylviane; Thanks for a truly excellent post on setting and keeping resolutions.
Over the last two years or so I have lost over 240 pounds. That wasn’t my immediate goal. My goal was to get healthier. I had gastric surgery. but before the surgery there were classes in nutrition a visit with a psychologist and regular meetings with the surgeon.
I had to watch presentations or listen to them as you know I am blind. The first goal was 25 pounds in 90 days a minimum requirement to have the procedure. It took eight months to get insurance approval and in that time I lost 80 pounds.
I improved my exercise switched poor food choices for better ones and got in the right mindset for success. I learned from my two relatives who had also undergone the surgery. Afterwards there were follow up classes support group meetings online and or in person.
We were encouraged to journal everything. I supplemented this by sharing my progress with my face book friends. And they encouraged me and held me accountable.
Every doctor’s visit came with a new goal. And I never wanted to disappoint myself, my surgeon, his team, my family, or any of my online community. I still have 15 pounds to go and its getting harder, but I know I can get there with all the help and support I have available to me.
I know this was a long comment and I’m sorry if its a little too much; but i thought my example might drive home your post. Hope that was okay. Thanks again and keep up the great work my friend, max
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I Max,
Do not apologize for your long comment, it’s just fine. Comments can be as long as we need to, and some people here leave very long comments. So not a problem. I love it!
You are very commendable for your progress and for holding on with your goals. I can tell that being accountable and the support you’ve received really paid off. At times we can’t do it alone, that’s why support is very important.
Thank you so much for sharing your story, Max, and have a wonderful new year!
Sylviane Nuccio invites you to read..My Best Personal Development Posts For 2013
Hi Sylvian; Well, thanks so much for your understanding. I know I tend to leave long comments. I also leave long phone messages. smile I think the real lesson from the big achievements is that we can’t do them alone. Needing to lose 200 pounds having to stop smoking after years with th habit, starting a new business, and certainly building and keeping up with a blog. I just wish i had been writing more during the process. I do know I get more reaction in social media from posts about my weight loss or new clothes or what i did for christmas than i do from any of my business related posts. And I think I need to share more not less. Katie perry recently said on the ellen show that the reason she is the queen of twitter is that its more about who she is and what she is doing in her personal life than it is i have a new record buy my new fragrance etc. thanks again for welcoming my comment and sharing a little of my story. I hope it helps someone on here. Take care, max
maxwell ivey invites you to read..My first video and a special offer
Hi Sylvianne,
The points you have listed are life tactics we need to do, use and imbibe to be able to stay on course and of course focus on our resolutions.
I love the first point you mention, and that is making a realistic resolution. Many people uses the so called ‘religious faith’ to wish for things that are literally and crystal clear to them as impossible.
In addition, having someone to be accountable to is also a very good strategy.
Thanks for sharing, and do have a prosperous new year.
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Hi James,
Yes, like I said, while having big dreams is a very good thing, when it comes to resolutions, it’s better to keep them realistic, so we can go through them. One day at the time.
Having someone that holds us accountable can make us stay on track.
Sylviane Nuccio invites you to read..7 Tips To Keep Those Goals And Resolutions Once For All
Hi Sylviane,
I made a New Year’s resolution back in 1980 that I have kept to this day. That was to make no more New Year’s resolutions. I decided then to learn and grow and monitor my progress each and every day. I like points 3 and 5.
Having an accountability partner, someone you trust you to tell it like it is even if it hurts your feelings, is really important. If you declare a goal, and get sidetracked, your accountability partner is there to rein you back in, to question your motives, to keep you aligned to your purpose. Having an accountability partner is better than broadcasting your dreams everywhere. Just one person should be enough for most people.
Keeping a personal journal offers so many benefits. It allows you to keep important personal notes on what something means to you now. Later on, the same issue may mean something completely different, and this is simply a sign of maturity. They’re great for recording tidbits of inspiration too. I’ve got a few hundred books on my bookshelves, but the most important ones are my private journals.
Kind Regards,
Bill
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Hi Bill,
I don’t really make new year resolutions either, I just make resolutions when I make them, and that’s better this way. It’s actually only a pure coincidence that I’ve made 2 new resolutions at the end of 2013 that look like new year resolutions, but they are really not.
It’s very important to keep journals of our progression. I really like that too. I don’t have so much a regular journal, but a plan journal and a journal where I keep record of my dreams because I’m working on my lucid dreaming. Nothing can replace a tracking journal.
Thank you for coming and have a great day.
Sylviane Nuccio invites you to read..7 Tips To Keep Those Goals And Resolutions Once For All
Hi Sylviane,
A very Happy New Year to you, and what a wonderful post this is.
I could really appreciate the point you made about not telling anyone about our goals, especially not to those who might have something negative to say. This is a good way of ensuring we don’t become influenced by others’ pessimism. Also, you’re spot on about accountability. We need strong people and not people who would let us get away with becoming slack.
Thank you.
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Hi Hiten,
Sorry, your comment was stuck in moderation while I’m finding junk comment right here every day that I have to delete. Well, nothing’s perfect I guess 🙂
Yes, the reason why we need to keep our mouth shut is because of those naysayers who can really kill our optimism. Pessimism is kind of contagious, unfortunately.
I’m glad you enjoyed the topic of this post and thank you for coming by.
Sylviane Nuccio invites you to read..7 Tips To Keep Those Goals And Resolutions Once For All
Hey Sylviane,
This post is something that we all need! These are some great tips to follow, but the ones that resonated with me were numbers 2 and number 7.
I’ve actually stopped making resolutions, but I do have some checkpoints to keep track of my progress. It definitely a great thing to have to see where you improved, what you lack, and how you can get better. This is what I started doing with blogging, and this year I plan on being more detailed using Google Analytics.
With number 7 I really relate to this one. Yes the majority of people have their doubts of my goals and what I can do, so I made it a point to keep my goals to myself whenever I make any. There’s only a couple of people I would tell, but for the most part, the majority of people I know don’t have a clue! Sad isn’t it? But it’s for the best!
Thanks for the share!
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Hi Sherman,
I’m so glad you could resonate with the post.
First off, keeping track of our progress is very important, and it really tells us where we are and where we’re heading.
Yes, it’s sad, Sherman, that a lot of times we have to keep our goals from the ones who are destroyer of goals and dreams. Those people have none, so they simply don’t get it. I think that they more ignorant than mean, though, but it’s better to keep them at bay, and away from our dream goals.
I’m like you, I don’t make resolutions anymore, I just strive to improve more and more each day and it’s what’s kept me grow.
Thank you for your visit and have a great weekend.
Sylviane Nuccio invites you to read..7 Tips To Keep Those Goals And Resolutions Once For All
Hi Sylviane…whilst I hardly ever make new year’s resolutions. Okay I can say, never here…nonetheless your points are valid any time we resolve to grow. Which is definitely an ongoing thing in my life. Keeping track is essential, otherwise it’s so easy to veer of course. A bit like your plane though – imagine heading to LA and unless it makes those little course corrections its likely to end up in Canada. 🙂
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Hi Elle,
I don’t make new year resolutions anymore either. It’s more an day to day progression for me. There’re still a lot of people who do though, and hopefully they can find inspiration to keep them in this post.
Thank you for coming, even though you don’t make resolutions either 🙂
Have a fantastic weekend!
Sylviane Nuccio invites you to read..7 Tips To Keep Those Goals And Resolutions Once For All
Hi Sylviane,
I’m a little late on replying because I was working on my new goals! And that includes more time for ME!
These are great tips you have given. People need to apply this if they are making resolutions because most do fail. Then that only leaves us feeling badly.
Yes, indeed they must be realistic. Writing them down is another great thing to do and the best of all is having someone to be accountable to.
As usual, a great post!
-Donna
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Hi Donna,
Not a problem. Nice to have you here anyway. As a matter of fact this post has not been visited by my most usual readers, but still did pretty good.
I’m glad you’re back, and hope you’re doing great with your new goal! I have a couple of huge ones myself. I’m very excited about it.
Have a great weekend!
Sylviane Nuccio invites you to read..7 Tips To Keep Those Goals And Resolutions Once For All
Hello Sylviane,
These seven tips you’ve shared here are simply the bomb! I am particularly in love with keeping your resolutions to yourself and only sharing them when you’re a hundred percent sure they would be appreciated!
The unconscious is powerful, Sylviane, believe me…and most of the excruciating defeats we face are as a result of the defeat our subconscious has already acknowledged!
Always,
Terungwa
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Hi Akaahan,
I’m glad you liked the post. Indeed the subconscious is everything, thus this blog 🙂
thank you for coming and for sharing your thoughts.
Sylviane Nuccio invites you to read..7 Tips To Keep Those Goals And Resolutions Once For All
Hi Sylviane,
I understand and I know that how tough it is to keep your resolutions at plan. I along with my couple of friends took a common resolution for the new year and we decided to hold each other accountable. So far it has worked great.
I will send this post to my rest of the friends so that they can learn a few tactics too. Thanks for sharing this with us Sylviane.
Regards,
Vineet
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Hi Vineet,
I’m so glad that you’ve created a mastermind of people who are keeping tabs on each other. I know it really works great.
Thank you so much for sharing this post. Have a great day!
Sylviane Nuccio invites you to read..7 Tips To Keep Those Goals And Resolutions Once For All
Hey Sylviane,
I hate the word resolutions as you know because you’re right, people never act on them. In my mind if you don’t act on something you say you want to do then it either wasn’t important enough to you in the first place or you never had any desire to follow through.
I love your suggestions and I think if you really need someone to help you follow through than a mastermind group is perfect for that. Or just find someone who wants the same things you do and hold each other accountable, they both work wonders.
You definitely just need to map out a plan and stick to it for sure and your suggestions are definitely very helpful for that.
I have every intention of following through with what I have mapped out and I’m hoping this year there won’t be any unforeseen things that are cropping up that will stop me from achieving my goals. So, here’s a good luck to us all.
Great post and thanks for sharing these with us. Hope your weekend is going well.
~Adrienne
Adrienne invites you to read..The Good, The Bad And The New Year
Hi Adrienne,
Nice to see you back 🙂
I like what your saying here. If you don’t keep up with your own promises it probably wasn’t that important for you in the first place. This thought alone can really make one think very deep.
Thank you for you input and have a great week!
Sylviane Nuccio invites you to read..7 Tips To Keep Those Goals And Resolutions Once For All
Hi Sylviane,
Being accountable is really not easy about anything and resolutions need accountability. Most people find it hard to stand to the commitment they made 4 weeks ago (let alone the year long commitment) and resolutions fall under a commitment people make to themselves for a longer duration.
I have seen people (and I’ve guilty of that occasionally) making and breaking those promises and I think it’s easy to break the promises we make to ourselves because we can adjust our internal expectations depending on situations.
What you suggested through this post is a great way to remain accountable and thus stay the course for the yearly resolutions. Involving other people, making the resolutions public creates a bit stronger expectations and when we now act, we act because we know other people are watching.
Thank you for sharing those tips! Happy New Year!
Regards,
Kumar
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Hi Kumar,
It definitely isn’t easy to keep resolutions going all year long, and that’s why so many people fail at it. However, using tips here and there to improve that chance always help.
Thank you for coming and Happy New year to you as I don’t think I’ve seen you since we truned 2014!
Sylviane Nuccio invites you to read..7 Tips To Keep Those Goals And Resolutions Once For All
Very precise instructions here Sylviane. Honestly, I did not make any resolutions this year. I want to try doing and realizing things one at a time this year and see how far will I go.
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